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Aleria
Titles The Love of Life Governs Charm, Good, Healing, Plant Worshippers Gardeners, Healers, Lovers Weapon Starknife Animal Meadowlark Description Aleria is a deity of hard work, compassion, healing and good harvest and is worshipped broadly by farmers, gardeners and healers. Aleria in the Divine Record The Divine Record contains the following story of Aleria's Ascension: A farming village underwent a terrible drought, and while the villagers worked themselves to exhaustion trying to bring in their crops, the days were hard and the land was unforgiving. As the daylight faded on the last day of the harvest, the villagers went to their beds in sorrow over the crops which would soon be lost to the cold. When the villagers awoke the next morning, a young girl named Aleria was missing from her bed. Her parents rushed through the town to find her, but instead found their neighbors - standing in the streets, gazing awestruck at the empty fields which had stood full and unharvested the night before. There, in the middle of the field, Aleria lay still atop a bier of hewn stalks, surrounded by Meadowlarks. This young girl had given her strength, her devotion, and her very life in sacrifice to the earth, her family and her community. Even as the village mourned her passing, they gave thanks for her great gift, leaving her portion of the harvest out each day to feed the Meadowlarks who remained ever-present. From that time forward, whenever harvest drew near, the villagers would catch glimpses of a small, blonde girl with bright green eyes, playing in the fields amongst the birds. The village was blessed, and she continued to walk among them for many years. Today, many Alerians claim to have received visits from a small blonde girl with bright green eyes. Typically, these appearances come in moments of heartfelt prayer, need or celebration. To her faithful, Aleria is known to be especially fond of weddings, births and harvest meals - and many Alerians leave a place set at the table for her at any such event, as well as leaving a portion of their daily bread or grain outside to feed the birds. Church Aleria, the 'Love of Life', exemplifies elegance, devotion to life and the nurturing of growth. In this regard, she is seen as a patroness to both those who work the land and those who seek love in its more romantic sense. Her churches tend to be roadside shrines and small outdoor altars set up in sweeping fields and romantic places like lakeshore retreats and hillsides where young lovers stargaze. There are very few official churches to Aleria; her worship thrives among the faithful, not cooped up in stuffy ecclesiastical buildings away from soul and soil. Gardeners who obey the tenets of Aleria and keep a range of natural prairie or high grasses for her meadowlarks will find their flowers blooming more fully, and their crops bountiful. Lovers who put their faith in Aleria are often blessed with a miracle of their own and should be cautious as to when and how often they invoke the goddess' name. Fertile fields and large families abound in the service of Aleria, the Love of Life. Important Rituals Priests of Aleria consider dawn sacred, and often pray or meditate at this time. They have many different means of doing so, each one as befits their place in the community. All of these rituals, however, typically share in recounting the Meadowlark's Hymn, a mental prayer that lasts for roughly a minute and is accompanied by a melodic bird song.